3 - Twilight to the Rescue
I trotted along the winding road towards that castle. Why'd it have to be so far out the way? Well, I guess I knew why. My own house was placed nicely out of the way of the rush of lesser ponies. Still, it didn't have to be this far.
Her door had no guards in front of it, like you'd expect from a real princess. Twilight Sparkle had a lot to learn about being a princess if she didn't expect to be laughed right out of her castle. I walked up and gave a good push, and it opened right up. Not even locked, figures. I walked across and felt a sudden wash of coldness come over me for an intense, but brief, moment. What was that?
I looked myself over and recoiled! I was a bug! I didn't see anypony in sight, so I tried to quickly bring my disguise back, just for the cold wind to rush through me and blow out the fire before it could build up enough for me to change. Princess Twilight Sparkle did have some security after all! She was warded against changelings... I could march forward, show off my hideousness, and hope she didn't throw me in jail immediately, or...
A startled noise shook me from my thoughts. It was Spike, and he was staring at me with wide eyes. He was looking with... disgust, maybe fear. Of course he would be. I was hideous. No, I couldn't be seen by a Princess this way! I turned and ran away. I felt the warmth return as soon as I was clear of the castle and dove into a ditch to quickly fwoosh to my proper form before I kicked a rock away. I was so close to some answers!
There had to be a way... I wanted to talk to Silver Spoon, but she'd be at school too. Maybe even the CMC? We were friends now, so I guess I could talk to them, but would any of them understand... this? Silver Spoon had to! We were best friends. We'd been together for years, practically forever! If I could get to her and make her understand, she'd help me.
Maybe... She'd even feed me. I felt a new kind of warmth as I thought about it. Did she like me enough to give that kind of... What would it mean if she did? It was too embarrassing to think about! Did best friends qualify as love? What kind of love did it have to be? I wasn't some tiny foal. I knew what 'love' meant. I meant, traditionally. All the stories have ponies making kissy faces and then foals and marriage and stuff... Daddy loved me, but that was family love. A dad's allowed to love his daughter, and vice versa. That's the way it should be!
Maybe best friend love was like family love? That'd mean she qualified! Silver Spoon could feed me, and we can find an answer to this, or at least wait out the week. Maybe I could sleep over at her place?
I walked through town as I thought, just to hear a snatch of conversation that caught my attention.
"Did you hear? The Princess figured out a way to keep changelings from hiding around town."
"Oh, that's good. The way I heard it, anypony could be one in disguise."
"Like you?"
They laughed it off and walked out of hearing range. Was it true? Was Twilight Sparkle going to blanket the town in the same spell she had on her castle? I felt my heart thumping in fear as I scurried behind a building, but then I thought about it. That wouldn't make sense. She'd want the exchange student to feel at home, and forcing him to walk around as a bug when he didn't want to wouldn't be very welcoming. No, she wouldn't do that. She wasn't that mean. I took a calming breath and checked for any slips before trotting back out onto the road.
Wait! There was one pony I could consult. She lived far away and barely had ties with anypony, but everypony said she was pretty smart and usually nice. She probably wouldn't even recognize me, which was fine. I didn't want recognition right then, I wanted answers, and maybe a little help if she had any to give.
I turned towards the Everfree and began trotting. At least, if any crazy monsters tried to attack me there, I'd have... changeling powers? Stick to the path! That's what they told all the foals at school. If you had to go into the forest, stick to the paths. Preferably, don't go in at all, but if you do... the paths.
I took an unsure step across the threshold of the forest. I wasn't gobbled up instantly. Things were looking up! As I walked, I considered if I should have a more intimidating form, just for the moment, but shook my head at the idea. I was Diamond Tiara, and that was not only good enough, but the way it should be!
I stopped mid-step. There was a big field of blue flowers overtaking the path. Should I go around them? Gah, why? They were just flowers. I trotted through the patch and made my way forward without exploding or anything. I could hear the far-off calls of things I didn't want to see in person, but none of them sounded like they were coming any closer. Everything was going to be fine, or so I kept telling myself.
"Who is this that dares enter here? A little foal? They should know to stay clear." A zebra emerged from around a tree and looked at me curiously. There she was!
"Miss Zecora, I assume?" I assumed my most formal stance and tone even as I internally sang praises that my journey was over.
She nodded softly. "That is my name, there is no doubt. Did you come for me? What about?"
Did she rhyme everything? "It's a little complicated to explain, but I was hoping you had a few answers."
She looked me over slowly. "You may need more than what you seek, What you need is a change, so to speak."
Did she already know?! I took a half-step back and she raised a hoof. "Hold, child, there is nothing to fear. Please, come with me, and I'll try to make things clear." She smiled a gentle smile and turned from me, walking towards a tree house just around the bend.
I could follow her, or leave... Well, I came this far, and she wasn't chasing me off. She knew something... I had to know what that was! I trotted after her quietly a moment before asking, "So, you live out here, in the Everfree?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
She paused and turned to regard me a moment. "We are not yet friends, perhaps would be best not to pry yet towards this end." She raised a hoof. "That may change, give it time, but first you must accept my rhyme."
Accept her rhymes? I hadn't complained about them! She nudged open the door to her house and slipped inside. I took a moment to look it over. There were big masks and other strange decorations adorning it. Just how far away did she come from? She was a zebra. Zebras aren't ponies, not technically. She had to be from very very far away. In some ways, she was like the changelings, but less... you know, buggy and vampire-like.
I slipped inside and saw she had shelf after shelf of flowers, roots, and other things. She also had a huge cauldron right in the center of everything, bubbling with something, I couldn't tell what. Maybe it was her lunch? Or maybe it was a potion to do something amazing, or wicked, or both? Focus! "What a lovely abode you have here," I partially lied with a smile. I mean, it was... alright... I guess... It only had one room! What kind of house only had one room?
She sat down beside the cauldron and stared at me like she could see right through me. "It was very brave to come to me, Especially for such a young filly. Shall we speak frankly, or must we dance? To tell me the whole truth, this is your last chance."
The whole... Did she mean what I thought she did? Did she... Ugh... I didn't want to show anypony that. "I've been, I guess, cursed..." That was the truth! She didn't have to stare at it.
Zecora gave a little nod. "Of this there is no doubt, No simple cure can I write out. A terrible curse lies in your body. I have no cure, simple or gaudy."
I bristled a little bit. "Look, um, no offense or anything, but do you have to rhyme everything?"
She smiled with a knowing smile. "I said you would have to accept the rhyme, if you wanted to be a friend of mine. I will forgive you, your mind is most stressed. Let's see what we can do to put it to rest." She rose and walked to her shelves, shifting through various herbs and curious trinkets a moment. "No... No... Where did I put... No..." She didn't rhyme while working, at least. She fetched a little charm that had a rope through it. It looked like a laughing donkey.
"Take this and keep it near. Wear it under clothing if you fear a sneer." She held it out towards me and I took it, looking it over. It was made of wood, and the rope was thick hemp. It was almost charmingly hideous.
"What will it do?"
She reached out and gently brushed one of my forelegs. I jumped back in surprise at the contact, then saw there was a big hole jutting through it and gasped in alarm, but she still watched me placidly. She really did know. "Poor foal of the insect tribe, born of misery, looking for love to imbibe. Your people are cursed, this much is true, but you can rise above it, just hold back your love's accrue. The charm will hinder you, but in a way that is good. You will be less dangerous to ponies who to feed from you would."
Like Daddy? I peered at it, but slowly put it on. I didn't feel anything. "Is it working?"
She nodded firmly. "Yes." What? No rhyme? She stood up. "If you seek shelter, this is not the place for it, Just remember my advice and do not forget."
"Wait!" I took a step forward. "That wasn't the curse I came for." She thought I was always a changeling! She raised a brow and looked at me curiously. How was I going to explain it...
"Have you ever heard of a pony becoming a changeling?" I smiled at her hopefully. If she was so smart and stuff, sure--
"No." Or not... I sank with defeat. "I have never heard of this curse. If it is true, you are right, it is worse. Were you truly a pony child, before the insect's way became what you reviled?"
"I reviled them plenty before I became one of them." I looked up at her. "Please, do you have any way to undo this? ---" I tried to speak Chrysalis' name and nothing came out. The harder I tried to say her name, the more blocked up I felt, leaving me there just sort of floundering in front of Zecora. I couldn't even mention the Queen, or Miss Big Bug, or anything that'd refer to her. Rrrg! It was so frustrating!
Zecora shook her head slowly and said nothing. She reached out and gently patted me on the head. She pitied me, but she couldn't help me...
I didn't need pity! I needed help, real help! With a sudden growl of frustration, I fled from her, and her stupid little house. Maybe school would be out by the time I got back to town.
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kidnaping, violation of privacy, harm to health, assault against citizen of foreign country on territory of said country... where the fuck is "dark" tag?
6548913 Where was her privacy or health harmed?
I wonder if perhaps DT isn't really a changeling at all but in some pod somewhere and sneaky ole Chrissy simply uses a lil changling abracadabra to do the whole Avatar thing or if Chrissy just put her into a dream to try and make her see the error of her ways.
6548915
Forced transformation, her nature and body was taken from her. Chrysalis not only kidnaped her, but completely destroyed her original body in purpose to make changeling - harm to health, she killed her, such actions was followed with complete illegal access of offending person to body of a victim - highest form of violation of privacy. Add slavery here to.
6548938
Add racism and damn you have MLP FiM.
Taking things out of concept is not enough to make it dark.
6548965
I pointed at specific facts.
6549009
And those specifics fact can be aplied to MLP:FiM episodes too bad dayum they have somehow kid friendly rating
6549038
for example?...
6549042
Mind control, slavery (if that not enough then we have cattle)/inprision oh ah Chrysalis did that already, forced transformation, something about dignity Poison joke. Etc etc I'm to lazy to read your msg again
6549053 She kidnapped before in mlp. Cadance remembers. She did most of these things in that episode.
Am I the only one not feeling sorry for Diamond in the least? She got what was coming. Least Chrysalis offered her an opportunity to... repent, after a fashion.
Twilight to the rescue...but where's twilight?
6549100 Alas, that mission failed fast.
6549053
Most of what you said was dictated by jenre, cultural and propagandistic features that cartoonists followed while making that cartoon. Their actions is nor excuse nor reason for sober justicifcation of such actions. Im sure, author is mature person who has proper morals and his own opinion, or not...
Then simply fuck off.
6549119
Then simply start using common sense
Diamond has ben given a little bobble but will it help with her wobbly.
ok now you all know way I do not even try to wright.
A vary good chapter to a story this is looking to be really super good.
Harts Fire
6549119 Relax everypony. Everything is under control. Trying to apply real-world legal terms to fictional characters that do not even exist in a remotely earth-like society is not productive.
any
best friend
me...I...I
6549062 To an adult
6548931 this occurred to us as well, but for the purposepurposes of this story I don't think this is exactly true.
Of course, DT totally missed an insta-solve by running away from the castle, so our adventure continues !
She's also been given a magic straw! Lol
Keep going! ;)
6548931 I was thinking maybe she wasn't a changeling at all, and Chrysalis just had her hypnotized to think she is, but other zebras and dragons have been reacting to her as if she was, so that's seeming less likely (unless 'it's all a dream' or something).
6549104 indeed
6549166
Aha... just put proper tags to prevent further confusion.
It will wear the charm around It's neck.
Come to think of it, it's quite smart to take Tiara as the protagonist of this story. She is supposed to be unbreakable like a diamond. It makes her struggles more exciting and Ge her a fair chance of staying 'whole'.
Aldo with shapeshift power, she can be all the ponies she wanna be.
I believe you have a good fic in the making. Good work.
6548913
6548915
6548965
Actually Diamond Tiara is just dreaming while in the waking world she is being inseminated by hundreds male drones to create a new type on changeling race.
There I just saved you all the trouble of waiting for this story to finish(except you David Silver)..
You're welcome.
6550830 The tags would be wildly violated, so no.
6549197 All fixed! Thankee.
At this point I was sure Diamond Tiara was going to go to Fluttershy's house and ask Fluttershy if it mattered if she was a changling.
6553024 No! We're not going down that rabbit hole. I haven't actually read those fics, but the titles alone and their million clones. Ick...
Maybe I'm judging too quickly? There's no Chrysaslis to punish me!
I don't really find much dark in this, I doubt Chryssie would jeopardise possible peace like that.
My guess is that she was exaggerating when explaining it to Diamond, to put fear in her. It all feels like one of the classic tales when someone becomes what they hate to feel that hate directed at them.
Cya
Raziel-chan
6554390 Ditto.
I refuse to believe ponies would be dumb enough to accept a diplomatic overture from a parasitic corrupting changeling queen. It's bad enough they feed off of ponies, but to change a pony into them? I don't think I can think any other circumstances where I'd use the phrase "justifiable genocide." They ruined cupcakes for her! Cupcakes!! That the queen had free access to Ponyville is ridiculous in of itself, much less liberty to corrupt an entire family of ponies just to punish a child for saying bad things about them. Diamond Tiara wasn't even being bigoted in calling them monsters, because the queen went and proved her completely and totally right! Chrysalis sneaking into Ponyville and corrupting Diamond Tiara, fine. But Chrysalis walking into Ponyville and corrupting Diamond Tiara's entire family, while at the same time approaching the ponies openly and diplomatically, without worry of getting caught, to the point that Diamond could have panicked the whole town after running straight to the princess herself, and it just happened not to work out that way?
The only way this story could work is if it's (literally) all a dream, since Chrysalis can totally do that to captured ponies without being absolutely dag nasty evil. I hate allegorical dream control plots, but that's the least fail I could imagine out of this concept.
6561402 It's not a dream, nor is Chrysalis risking war. Saying more is spoilers.
Relax.
Diamond Tiara could, in theory, rush to the princesses, and... insist she, a changeling, was once a pony.
The princess would be very confused. Little would be accomplished.
6561402 The story has ended, curious for your updated view of it.
6548913 The story has ended, curious for your updated view of it.
Actually, there are several kinds of love.
Storge: Kinship, love of family.
Agape/Kenosis: I group these together because they're counterparts. The love of God for "Man" and the love of "Man" for God
Eros: Obviously, romantic love
and finally there's Phillia. Which, besides being a nice little pun, also means, you guessed it, Friendship!
6680616 Nopony explained this to Diamond Tiara.
Double, double, the words, this is true! This is an error you must undo!
A fun interaction with our filly protagonist and our favorite rhyming mare. Hope the charm will help, even while a new hindrance is put in place, unbeknownst to DT. You can do it, spoiled filly!